October 22, 2025
Saint Paul did not do cold calls. You know the type: someone shows up at your door, unexpected and unannounced — politicians running for office, Mormon missionaries, or a cookie salesperson. In this age of universal cell phones, we suffer a glut of cold calls/robocalls. On his three missionary journeys, the Apostle to the Gentiles […]
October 21, 2025
As I listen to the young people in my life, the 40 and 50-somethings, I frequently hear an interesting expression: “ya gotta show up!” Or “I hope they show up!” Or “just show up!” These include teachers, consultants, trainers, CEOs, and church ministers. When asked what they mean, I’m told: “I just want them to […]
October 20, 2025
Abraham did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what God had promised he was able to do. (Roman 4:20) Jesus gives the Lord’s Prayer in a specific place when his disciples ask him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just […]
October 19, 2025
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Did you know that dogs have over 200 million scent receptors compared to 5 million for humans? My lab, Fanny, no longer desires to go on long speed walks with me but rather is quite content with walking in front of a few houses, persistent in her sniffing out a […]
October 18, 2025
We are the harvest. Christ gave us a choice: be part of his laborers or be part of the wolves. We live in a culture that rewards with status and accumulation. We sit comfortably in our homes and offices, some fat with ego, pride, and a paycheck not to be shared. Many of us heard […]
October 17, 2025
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch Ignatius was bishop of Antioch at the end of the First Century. He no doubt had some connection with those who had known the Apostles and had imbibed their enthusiasm and sense of a personal relationship with Jesus. Arrested and sentenced to die in the arena, Ignatius was taken […]
October 16, 2025
Our readings for today speak to us of righteousness and brutality, understanding and misunderstanding, justification and vindictiveness. We are also instructed about divine mercy. In Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, he reiterates that there is one true God and that there is no distinction among believers. God belongs to no one in particular, nor […]
October 15, 2025
Memorial of Saint Theresa of Jesus Jesus said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.” In the gospel reading, Jesus criticizes the scribes, the interpreters of the Jewish Law, for loading burdens on people’s shoulders […]
October 14, 2025
I once heard this story about a little girl who walked into church with her hands and arms covered in dirt, and her face smudged from play. Quietly slipping into the first pew, she clutched a single flower picked from the garden. The flower, hidden from view, was meant as her gift to God. From […]
October 13, 2025
In the first reading today, we are reminded that through him we have received the grace of apostleship. The Church, in her wisdom, invites us to reflect on those who have lived the grace of discipleship. During October, the Church commemorates Saint Therese, the Little Flower. The most impactful spiritual book that I have read […]